Hello ‘new Barbie’. ?

As a child, I preferred Sindy. My daughter, and granddaughter, weren't interested in either lol

But, as neither Action Man or Barbie had genitals, I can't see what "transgender" dolls can bring to the party. ??

Unless, of course, they are making them talking Barbie's that run around shouting a lot, wearing black outfits and masks..?

Unless, of course, they are making them talking Barbie's that run around shouting a lot, wearing black outfits and masks.

Ninja Barbie!

Urmstongran I think your 45th reunion “Barbie” is modelled on Divine, an American actor/drag queen.
I’m another Barbie hater, just expensive plastic tat imo.
My black dolls were always my favourite, how I wish I’d kept them. Mind you, that applies to a great many of my childhood toys. Thankfully, I still have lots of my books.

Well she just looks like a barbie doll to me she has boobs long blonde hair a little waist and long shapely legs
Am I missing a point what is transgender about her ???

I had a black doll late 40 s early 50 s I can’t remember what I called her but she was a favourite and went everywhere with me

I had a black doll in the 1950s.
As for Barbie dolls , I can't bear them.
Refused to buy them for my children.

We are always being told on here that it is impossible to tell transwomen apart from women, and that TransWomen Are Women, so I'm not sure why a special Barbie is necessary. If that were the case, why wouldn't any old Barbie do?

Maybe in years to come it will be a collector's item, representing the years when people claimed not to know what a woman was? There are already Barbies to represent other landmarks in women's history. I'm surprised that Stonewall didn't stamp on those in the same way they did with the Oxfam game that highlighted female icons, but maybe the dolls came out before their ideas had such a firm grip.

The main reservation I have about the Barbie is that I would worry that a child of doll-playing-with age is going to be too immature to be considering transitioning. I am very uneasy about the age of some of the children getting involved in all of this, and wonder how many would think of it themselves if not influenced by adults who have bought into the Stonewall agenda.

BlueBelle

Well she just looks like a barbie doll to me she has boobs long blonde hair a little waist and long shapely legs
Am I missing a point what is transgender about her ???

I had a black doll late 40 s early 50 s I can’t remember what I called her but she was a favourite and went everywhere with me

Here is the person that the doll represents. This person has boobs long blonde hair a little waist and long shapely legs.

The point is that Mattel have marketed a Barbie doll that represents a trans person. That's it.

Sorry if this post is too joyless for some of our posters to read.

Maudi

Perhaps an overweight Barbie with a few tattoos would be more apt.

?????????

Aveline

Same as 'Action Man'

Action Man used to get pushed around in a pink dolly's pram, tucked up cosily with Sindy in our house!

No Barbies allowed.

A Barbie that is more representative of 'real women' would be a good thing, IMO. A skinny, busty doll is not giving children a realistic shape to which they can reasonably aspire.

I had this poster on my office wall in the 90s, where students could see it.

Callistemon21

Aveline

Same as 'Action Man'

Action Man used to get pushed around in a pink dolly's pram, tucked up cosily with Sindy in our house!

No Barbies allowed.

That reminds me of one of my sons.

He used to push a buggy to the shops with a football in it.

He used to push a buggy to the shops with a football in it

Barbie would be unable to function if her proportions were in a human.
Neck too long, lots of physically impossible anatomical quirks.

Oh what a fantastic story (the bird lady). I really love that. It appeals to my sense of humour! Thank goodness for our eccentrics, they bring a bright ray of sunshine into our lives.

I also liked Tressy - her hair grew! ?

Volver I don’t understand… if the barbie looks completely like a woman how is a child of 5/6/7 supposed to know it’s a trans doll and why would a child of that age group need to know anything about these things
Perhaps this new Barbie should come with a doctor doll to remodelled her and that can be a new game make Ken into Barbie (sigh)
So basically it’s made for the adults to tick a box ?

Children do not need their lives complicated by adult issues
Let them be children for goodness sake

Are they doing a trans "Ken" doll as well??

BlueBelle I don't know much about trans people and I don't know much about children, so maybe I've got this all wrong, but this is my interpretation.

The doll is a plastic figure made to represent Laverne Cox. Cox is an actress who happens to be trans. The doll kinda looks like Laverne, but Barbie doesn't have visible sexual organs. When they brought out the Rosa Parks doll, or the Sarah Gilbert doll, there was nobody complaining that it was a travesty, that the dolls couldn't represent those women. Nobody is complaining that the Ken doll is a waste of time because it doesn't have the male bits on show.

The doll is just showing that whoever you are you can be a Barbie. Whether you are a civil rights activist, a vaccine researcher or if you were born a man and appear in Television dramas.

But some are jumping in the trans bit, starting threads that get people all indignant, or suggesting that it's the sexualisation of children. It's just a doll representing someone who was born a man. That's all.

I have never heard of Laverne Cox, so the fact the doll is modelled on her meant nothing to me.

My DM didn’t approve of “teenage” dolls, so I’m still jealous of you lot who got the Tressy. I did have a black doll in the 50s that I took everywhere, till we crawled out of a den I’d made and I found her face had been bashed in on the way. Oh, the trauma!

My DDs eventually remodelled their Sindys with Kappa tracksuits, tattoos, White Lightning and fags. I’m not sure who their inspirations were.

Well clearly lots of people have heard of her, including people on this thread. I'd never heard of the astronaut who's got a Barbie representation either. I don't think we're Barbie's target audience though.

Well will a 5/6 year old have heard of Laverne Cox ( I hadn’t either)
Isn’t it better to just have a doll does it need a sexual representation at all that s my question ?
Should a 5/6 year old be looking at a doll and seeing that it fits a category ….. no, nor should adults it’s no one’s business where you have an unused bit extra or not
I don’t see why for a minute we have to know ANYONES blooming sexual orientation and surely a small child doesn’t have to understand that some men want to be women etc etc

The doll is just showing that whoever you are you can be a Barbie but it’s not is it as there is nothing to show it’s a man dressed as a woman most kids will just see it as a new blonde Barbie not Bobby turned Barbie

kids will just see it as a new blonde Barbie

I think that's the point.

I’m not sure these dolls are even being marketed for children. I suspect they are for the adult doll collector market instead.

Another black dolly from the 50s owner here. I mithered and mithered my poor nan until she gave in and spent a good bit of her pension on my beloved Minnie. I have her still.

Kids see what they want to see in toys, as posts upthread illustrate by children 'customising' their Barbies, Sindys (love the White Lightning and fags stylee maggiemaybe) and Kens to their own imaginations.

I had never seen a black person in real life to identify or make a judgment for or against, I just saw a beautiful little dolly. My nan clearly had the same view simply buying it for me without comment.